Davit for lifeboats



A. W. LYDA Oct. 31, 1939.

DAVIT FOR LIFEBOATS Filed July 50, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a; e Mgm A a aRowuM -d Patented Oct. 31, 1939 PATENT oFFicE DAvrr FOR LIFEBOATS Arthur W. Lyda, North Canton, Ohio, assignor of one-half to J. Simms Applegate, Wellsburg, W. Va., and one-half to Orpha E. Lyda,.North Canton, Ohio Application July 30, 1987, Serial No. 156,532 r 2 Claims.

The invention relates to davits for life boats upon ships and has particular reference to the rapid manipulation of the davits for hoisting or launching the life boats.

An object of the invention is to provide a davit especially adapted for quick and easy manipulation to launch a life boat, the davit being so constructed as to normally support the life boat above a deck and to swing the same outward clear of the side of the ship in launching.

Another object is to provide a davit operating upon a rocker so as to give a maximum of movement from a point over the deck to a point spaced from the side of the ship.

A further object is to provide guide means,

preferably in the form of a slot and pin, to guide the rocker in a definite path as the davit is moved from one position to the other.

A further object is to provide a flat rear end.

and substantially right angle rear lower corner upon the rocker portion of the davit to seat within a right angular seat in the davit support when the davit is in the normal position.

A still further object is to provide a socket or depression in the davit support in which the forward or outer end of the rocker rests when the davit is in the outward or lowered position.

Another object is the provision of a novel, quickly detachable means for connecting the supporting cables to the life boat.

A still further object is the provision of an improved automatically operating saddle for sup porting the keel of the life boat when in the normal position.

Another object is to provide a latch for latching or locking the life boat in the normal position and provided with means for quickly releasing the same when it is desired to launch the life boat.

The above objects together with others which may be hereinafter pointed out or which will be apparent from thefaccompanying drawings, may be attained by constructing the improved davit in the manner illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of a life boat supported in normal position upon the improved davits;

Fig. 2, a similar view showing the davits in the outward or lowered position;

Fig. 3, a side elevation of a life boat supported in the davits in the position shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. l, a detail elevation upon an enlarged scale of the improved attaching means for releasably connecting the cables to the life boat! Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

A portion of the deck of a ship is indicated generally at and the bases ll upon which the davit supporting standards l2 are mounted are shown as mounted upon the deck at a point spaced inwardly from the edge of the deck, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Each of the upright davit supports I2 comprises two spaced side walls l3 which may be joined at their rear edges as at I4 and have the lower forwardly extending portions I 5 connected to the bottom plate It. A socket or recess [6a is formed in the forward or outer end of each bottom plate It of the davit supports to form a seat for the rocker it! when the davit beams are swung to the outward or lower position, as shown in Fig. 2.

Each of the davits proper comprises the normally upright beam I! having the forwardly extending rocker It at its lower end, said rocker having a flat rear portion l9 which with the rear edge of the beam portion l4 forms a right angular rear lower corner 2!) adapted to snugly fit and seat within the right angular rear lower .25 corner 2| of the davit support.

For the purpose of guiding the rocker in a definite fixed path as it rocks forward and back upon the bottom plate It of the support, arcuate slots 22 may be formed in the side walls ill of the davit support to be engaged by studs 23 carried by the rocker portion of the davit so as to guide the davit as it swings from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2

or vice versa, assuring that the davit will always rock or swing backward and forward in the same fixed path.

The upper end of the davit beam I1 is curved forwardly and upwardly as shown at 24 and provided with the enlarged forked outer end 25 within which may be mounted a pulley 26 over which a cable 21 supporting one end of the life boat, indicated generally at 28; is located; A double conical ball 29 is mounted upon the end portionof said cable just above the releasable attaching member indicated generally at 30, said ball being adapted to seat in notches 3| in the forked end 25 of the davit when the life boat is in the raised or normal position, as shown in Fig. 1.

Other pulleys 32 and 33 may be provided upon the beam ll of the davit over and under which the cable 21' is located, said cable being connected to the power operated drum mechanism indicated generally at 34 which may be of the'same 55 general construction and operation as disclosed in detail and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,792,995, issued February 17, 1931, for Davits and operating means therefor.

The saddle for supporting the keel of the life boat when in the raised or normal position includes the longitudinal shaft 35 journaled at opposite ends in the bearing brackets 36 supported from the upright davit supports l2 at each end of the life boat.

A pair of forwardly disposed rocker arms 31 is fixed upon the shaft 35 at points spaced from the center of said shaft and provided with the saddle notches 38 which receive the keel 39 of the life boat when in the normal position, as shown in Fig. 1. Rocker arms 40 are fixed to opposite end portions of the shaft 35 and are pivotally connected to links 4|, as indicated at 42, the opposite ends of the links being pivotally connected to the forward ends of the rockers l8, as indicated at 43.

With this construction it will be seen that as the davits rock forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2, the links ll and rocker arms l-O will be pulled downward and forward by the rockers l8, rotating the shaft 35 in clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, swinging the saddle rocker arms 3? downward so as to automatically release the keel of the life boat to permit the same to be swung outward over the side of the ship when it is desired to launch the same.

For the purpose of latching the life boat in raised or normal position, a quickly releasable latching means may be provided at each end of the life boat, including a keeper 65 fixed to each end of the life boat and adapted to receive the hooked end (it of a latching hook 47 which may be in the form of a bell crank lever pivoted as at 58 upon a supporting bracket 49 extending forwardly or outwardly from the upper end of each davit support l2.

The lower arm of this bell crank lever is connected by a link 50 with a rocker arm 5! upon a rocker shaft 52 provided also with a rocker arm 53 connected by a link 54 with one arm of a bell crank lever 55 pivoted as at 56 upon a stationary portion of the ship, the other arm thereof being connected to the vertically disposed link 5?, to the upper end of which is attached a cable or cord 58 extending over the pulleys 59 and 60 and located in such position as to be grasped by a member of the crew when it is desired to launch the life boat.

An outward pull upon the cord 58 will rock the levers and links so as to swing the latching hook 66 downward to the unlatched or unlocked position, as shown in Fig. 2, releasing the same from the keeper 45.

For the purpose of bringing the parts to latched position, a foot pedal 6| may be pivoted as at 62 and connected to the link 5'! whereby downward pressure upon the foot pedal will move the parts to the position shown in Fig. 1, latching the hooks l5 to the keepers 45 at the ends of the life boat. Gravity will hold the parts in this position until the release cord 58 is pulled to move the parts to the unlatched position shown in Fig. 2.

The releasable hook for connecting each cable to one end of the life boat is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and comprises a pair of links 63 pivoted at their lower ends as at 64 upon a plate 65 fixed to the adjacent end of the life boat. The upper end of each link 63 is pivoted as at 66 to the lower end of a hook 61, these hooks being pivoted as at 68, forming a lazy tong construction.

A clamping screw or nut 69 is provided at the pivot point 68 for tightening the pivot so as to hold the hooks in any desired position. The upper ends of the hooks 6'! are adapted to overlap over the U-bolt 10 carried at the lower end of the cable 21.

When the boat is supported upon the davits as shown in Figs, 1 and 3, the hooks 61 will be in the position shown in Fig. 4 and if desired, the nut or screw 69 may be tightened at this time. When it is desired to launch the life boat the nuts or screws 89 are loosened.

As the boat is launched by the davits, when the boat reaches the surface of the water and takes the weight off of the hooks 61, the links 63 will by gravity swing outward upon their pivot points 64, caused by the weight of the hooks 6'! swinging open at their upper ends, automatically releasing the life boat from the cables. In raising the life boat out of the water, the U-bolts 10 of the cables are inserted between the hooks 67 which are moved to closed position and held clamped in this position by tightening the screw or nut 69 so that the boat may be raised out of the Water.

In the operation of the mechanism, assuming the life boat is supported upon the davits as shown in Fig. 1, when it is desired to launch the life boat, the release cord or cable58 is pulled, releasing the latches 46 and the drum and brake mechanism indicated generally at 34 may be operated as disclosed in my prior patent upon such mechanism above referred to, permitting the weight of the life boat to pull the davits outward to the position shown in Fig. 2.

As the davits swing outward to this position, the saddle arms 3'! will automatically be lowered away from the keel of the life boat and the life boat will swing downward clear of the side of the ship until it reaches the surface of the water I when the automatically releasable hooks 61 will release the cables from the life boat, permitting the same to be manipulated to move away from the side of the ship as in ordinary practice.

I claim:

1. A boat davit including davit supports having spaced side walls, a vertical back wall and a flat, horizontal bottom wall, a davit beam located in each support and having an upright portion adapted to normally seat against said back wall and a flat lower end adapted to normally seat upon said bottom wall, an arcuate rocker extending forwardly from said flat lower end and continuously curved in one direction and rocking upon said bottom wall, the forward end of the bottom wall terminating in a downwardly and outwardly curved portion concaved upwardly and conforming to the contour of said arcuate rocker and adapted to receive the forward end of said rocker when in operative position, oo-operating pin and groove guide means on the support and beam for causing the beam to rock in a definite path, and boat carrying cables associated with the beams and supports.

2. A boat davit for a boat having a keel and latch keepers, said davit including a spaced pair of davit supports having spaced side walls, a back wall and a bottom wall, a davit beam located in each support and having an upright portion adapted to normally seat against the back wall and terminating in a forwardly disposed upper end, the lower end of said upright beam being flat and adapted to normally seat upon the bottom wall, an arcuate rocker extending forwardly from said flat lower end and adapted to rock upon said bottom wall, boat supporting cables located over the forwardly disposed upper ends of the beams, means for tensioning the cables, a rocker shaft supported adjacent to said davit supports below and at the rear of the boat keel in the stored position of the boat, saddle arms fixed upon the rocker shaft and normally extending forwardly therefrom and provided in their upper sides with notches having outwardly and upwardly flared curved sides to normally receive the boat keel, normally, upwardly disposed rocker arms upon said rocker shaft, and links connecting the upper ends of said rocker arms to the forward ends of said rockers so that the operation of said saddle arms will be entirely controlled by the movement of the davit beams to release the boat keel when the beams rock outward and to receive and hold the boat keel when the beams rock upward to normal position.

ARTHUR W. LYDA. 

